Proteomic Changes in Rhizobia after Growth in Peat Extract and Their Potential Role in Desiccation Tolerance

Survival of rhizobia on seed is mainly affected by desiccation. Inherent differences in survival exist between rhizobia strains as well as with growth conditions, with a general improvement in survival seen in cells grown in peat over cells grown on growth media. Improving survival of rhizobia under desiccation stress may enhance nitrogen fixation and crop yields. This study aimed to relate desiccation tolerance of rhizobia to physiological changes in cells grown in peat extract. Survival of four rhizobia strains (Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae, 3841, Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolli TA1, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, CB1809, Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens sp. nov.) was measured after growth in peat extract. This study reported an improvement in survival of Bradyrhizobium strains USDA110 and CB1809 compared to the Rhizobium strains 3841 and TA1. The global proteomic responses of the four rhizobia strains after growth in peat extract was compared with defined medium JMM. Differentially expressed proteins were reported across the four strains with a possible role in desiccation tolerance such as ABC transporters, stress response, transcription, translation and oxidative stress proteins. The role of one protein, PspA (RL3579), was validated by creating a knock-out mutant. The RL3579 mutant grown in peat extract reported significantly lower percentage survival of 2% as compared to the wild-type (5.3%), and could be attributed to loss in membrane integrity. This study confirms that survival of rhizobia can be improved after growth in peat extract, due to stress-related proteins that may function in protecting cells from desiccation-induced damage. The roles of these stress proteins and effect of specific components of peat could be manipulated to develop desiccation-tolerant strains and inform development of new inoculant carriers for legume inoculation

Pragmatics in Parenting: Language Strategies in Communicating Issues of Sexuality to Teenagers by Kenyan Parents.

This study sought to examine the features that characterize parents’ talk when they attempt to speak matters of sexuality to their teenage children. It identified and described various features of style which were analyzed in light of theories of pragmatics such as Brown and Levinson’s Politeness theory, Austin’s Speech Act theory and the theory of Cooperative Principle by Grice. The study sample consisted of parents of teenage children who were interviewed to give accounts of the kind of talk that took place between them and their children on matters of sexuality.  The results showed that features of indirectness abound in parents’ utterances with only occasional direct utterances. The study provides some interesting linguistic insights into the pragmatic choices of language that people make in ordinary conversation to meet their communication needs when faced with sensitive topics such as those to do with sexuality. Key words: communication, indirectness, pragmatics, sexualit

The changing image of women in Francis Imbuga's Oeuvre

The aim of this study was to examine the changing image of women in the oeuvre of Francis Imbuga. Focusing on seven stage plays and two novels published between 1976 and 2011, the study examines the depiction of female characters within the social, cultural and political contexts of post-independence African societies. The depiction of female characters in literature has attracted the attention of numerous scholars globally, particularly with regards to negative female stereotypes in male authored works. This study explores Imbuga’s attitude towards female stereotypes and gender inequalities in literary texts. Using an eclectic framework that includes feminist criticism, feminist stylistics, gender theory and the formal strategies of literature, the study examined gender relations in these texts through the analysis of language and discourse of characters. Further, the study uses the interpretive methods of textual analysis to categorize these works into three phases based on their portrayal of female characters. This method reveals a systematic transformation in the characterization of women from disadvantaged positions in the patriarchal society to more prominent positions in the contemporary society. The study demonstrates that Imbuga makes a positive response to feminism and devices a unique perspective on feminism that celebrates both the domestic and public roles of female characters. In this sense, the female characters contribute to the moral content and aesthetic values of Imbuga’s works. The study concludes that Imbuga views the transformation of female characters in literary texts as part of the broader social change that is desirable in the society. Ultimately, this vision involves shifting focus from the preoccupation with gender inequalities to concern for the welfare and dignity of the human person. Based on the conclusions, recommendations for further study include investigation into the educative and social role of the performing arts as a means of raising consciousness on issues such as HIV/Aids, use of indigenous knowledge in solving contemporary issues, incorporation of African morality and traditions in contemporary literature and a comparative study of Imbuga’s feministic vision with that of other writers

Textuality of English Composition Writing by Form Two E.S.L. Students

The performance of English at KCSE level has been improving over the years. There was need to find out if this improved trend was reflected in the composition writing of students in Kiini Secondary School in Maara District in Kenya. This paper looks at the adherence to the standards of textuality in composition writing by form two students in Kiini Secondary School. It also investigates students’ written texts to establish the extent to which they conformed to the standards of textuality. It further examined the structure of students’ written texts to find out whether they applied the standards of textuality as they wrote their compositions. This paper establishes the effects which the standards of textuality had on the performance of the students in composition writing. The findings of this paper contribute to scholarly material in text linguistics which is within the field of Discourse Analysis. Keywords: Textuality, E.S.L.,Cohesion(Cs.),Coherence(Cc.), Informativity (Info.), Acceptability (Acc.), Situationality (Sit.), Intentionality (Int.), Inertextuality (Inter.

Social Capital and Climate Change Perception in the Mara River Basin, Kenya

Climate change is a phenomenon that affects different facets of human livelihood. However, the general public does not easily comprehend it. This study was inspired by the realization that climate change is not just an ecological entity but that social processes have a crucial role to play in responding to the climate change crisis. Community perception is critical because it determines response to the crisis. Social capital has been identified as key in creating a framework for understanding community dynamics. In the Mara River Basin in Kenya, a fragile environment that supports a large population in Western Kenya, social capital has been analyzed by this study and linked to community perception of the climate change crisis within the basin. The study therefore seeks to demonstrate how social capital can be used to develop a deeper understanding of the cognizance of climate change nuances at community level. Key Words: Mara River Basin, Social Capital, Networks, Ties, Climate Change, Perception, Information flo

Implementation Status of Kenya’s Language in Education Policy: A Case Study of Selected Primary Schools in Chuka Division, Meru South District, Kenya

Language-in-education policies in many developing countries are constantly an issue of discussion in scholarly circles. This paper looks at the language-in- education policy in lower primary in Chuka Division, Meru-South District, Kenya. The paper evaluates the teachers’ awareness of the language policy and actual implementation in the classroom. It also analyses the problems that teachers experience in implementing the policy and gives the teacher’s recommendations in case the language policy were to be restructured. The paper establishes that teachers are aware of the policy but they do not always implement it in the classroom. The findings in this paper are of great benefit to all stakeholders in the ministry of education in Kenya and contribute to scholarly literature in the area of language planning and policy. Keywords: Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP), Policy Implementation, Language of Instruction (LOI), mother tongue (MT

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Behavioural Intervention Strategies Employed towards the Mitigation of HIV Risky Sexual Behaviour among Students in Institutions of Higher Learning in Western Kenya

Researchers have confirmed that the reason for the relatively high HIV incidence among people between 15-24 years globally is Risky Sexual Behaviour. Researchers subsequently identified a challenge regarding effective mitigation of the behaviour world over. They further identified Institutions of Higher Learning, which host a significant proportion of youth, as fertile breeding grounds for this behaviour. This study consequently evaluated the strategies employed in the mitigation of HIV Risky Sexual Behaviour among students in these institutions in Western Kenya overall, and specifically; evaluated the HIV prevention behavioural. The study employed qualitative and quantitative approaches to ensure triangulation and crosschecking of the research process. Employed were probability and non-probability sampling techniques generally and specifically, cluster sampling then simple random sampling. Chosen was a sample size of 399 students from a population of 13,002 students at seven institutions. Key informants were sampled purposively as follows; 5 NGO officials, 6 county government officials, 6 officials working in health care centers and 6 dean of students and 1 student counsellor. Selection of four Focus Group Discussions was purposive with each FGD having eight purposively selected student leaders from four institutions. An interview administered semi-structured questionnaire was employed to collect data from students, an FGD guide for the FGDs and Key Informant interview guides for the key informants. Descriptive statistics, an index-score, qualitative analysis and chi-square and were done for analysis. The HIV Risky Sexual Behaviour index-score revealed that a majority 269 (67.4%) of the respondents are involved in HIGH HIV Risky Sexual Behaviours. From chi-square tests, regarding behavioural strategies, information provision and counselling and other forms of psycho-social support are found to be statistically significant with p-value = 0.007 and p-value = 0.080 respectively. The study concludes that HIV incidence and prevalence rates in these institutions are likely to double in the near future if stakeholders continue to apply mitigation strategies in the exact manner they are currently doing. At behavioural level, the study thus recommends enhancing counselling and other forms of psychosocial support and stigma, and discrimination reduction programmes. Keywords: Effectiveness, Behavioural Intervention Strategies, Mitigation. HIV, Risky Sexual Behaviour, Students, Institutions, Higher Learning DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-16-05 Publication date:August 31st 202